Hebrew Union College prides itself on being open and pluralistic. But some Reform rabbinical students say the reality contradicts this vision. from Tablet Magazine: Disunion Earlier this year, word spread that the president of Hebrew Union College had been approached by a potential funder who wanted to endow the school with a chair for a politically conservative scholar. Like countless other religious and academic institutions, HUC had suffered tremendously in the aftermath of the financial meltdown of 2008. Less than three years ago, the seminary faced a $3 million deficit. Professors’ salaries had been cut, tuition had been raised, and reports surfaced that the school was considering closing two of its three American campuses. The school “was in the most challenging position it has … Continue Reading
Survey Confirms Depth of the Political Divide Among Jewish Voters
In a study conducted by Hebrew Union College Professor Steven Windmueller involving some 2300 Jewish voters the findings confirm a deep liberal-conservative split which models the current political landscape of the country. In this particular study one finds a distinctive Jewish conservative voice emerging on Israel-related matters and an array of domestic social issues. The data also suggests that among highly engaged Jews, those who are active within Jewish religious and communal life, there is a sharp divide on political attitudes and policies. The intensity of this political and social disconnect could also be seen in the additional comments offered by many participants to this survey. In the statements that accompanied a number of specific questions and at the conclusion to the study, … Continue Reading
An Insider Speaks on Reform Judaism Today
excerpted from Reform Judaism Isn’t an Island by Rabbi David Ellenson These days, everyone seems to have something to say about what they think is wrong with Reform Judaism. We have heard that the Reform movement is, at best, in stasis and, at worst, facing a significant decline in its membership rolls. Some argue that Reform institutions are insufficiently nimble and overly bureaucratic. Others point to what they see as an underlying ideological or theological malaise, suggesting that Reform Judaism does not galvanize Reform Jews to acknowledge and act upon their covenantal obligations. Many of the critiques come from within our movement, others from outside it. Most are offered as constructive criticism, while a few are mean-spirited polemics. Amid this wave of criticism and … Continue Reading
New Master’s Concentration in Israel Education Launched
In a new partnership, six American academic institutions are teaming up to offer their graduate students a Master’s Concentration Program in Israel education. Selected students will study a common curriculum, gather together for eight colloquium days, receive ongoing individual mentoring, and create their own learning experience in Israel. Students are also expected to be proficient in Hebrew by the end of the program. The program will be coordinated by The iCenter, a national nonprofit whose aim is to dramatically enhance pre-collegiate Israel education in North America. Set to launch this May, the program is recruiting for its inaugural cohort of 18 students from: Azrieli Graduate School of Jewish Education at Yeshiva University Davidson School of Jewish Education at the Jewish … Continue Reading
The Changing Fortunes of America’s Religious Streams
Liberal Denominations Face Crisis as Rabbis Rebel, Numbers Shrink by Josh Nathan-Kazis Conservative Judaism’s membership rolls are in free fall. According to a strategic plan for renewal issued in February by the denomination’s congregational arm, the number of families served by synagogues belonging to what was once American Judaism’s leading stream has shrunk by 14% since 2001. In the denomination’s Northeast region, the number of families has dropped by 30%. The new draft strategic plan by the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism proposes ways for the USCJ to regain some of that lost ground. And the plan comes, as it turns out, at a fraught moment not just for Conservative Judaism, but for all the synagogue organizations that anchor America’s liberal Jewish … Continue Reading
HUC to Rename Los Angeles Campus
Hebrew Union College will rename its Los Angeles campus in memory of Jack H. Skirball. Born in Homestead, Pennsylvania, Skirball attended the University of Cincinnati and Western Reserve College in Cleveland and then studied for the rabbinate at Hebrew Union College. After his ordination in 1921, he pursued graduate work in philosophy and sociology at the University of Chicago, then served as an assistant rabbi in Cleveland for two years and rabbi of the Washington Avenue Temple in Evansville, Indiana, for seven years. In 1933, he took a leave of absence from the Evansville congregation to become the manager of Educational Films Corporation, a pioneer in the field of audiovisual education. While with Educational Films, he produced Birth of a Baby, the first motion picture to show the actual … Continue Reading
HUC Renames School of Sacred Music in Memory of Debbie Friedman
At a memorial tribute to Debbie Friedman at Central Synagogue on January 27, 2011, Rabbi David Ellenson, President of Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, made the following announcement: A beloved member of our faculty since 2007, Debbie Friedman, z”l, inspired our students through her creativity and musical talents, helped guide their spiritual and leadership development, and provided them with innovative strategies to transform congregations into communities of learning and meaning. Our students were blessed by her devotion, and our faculty was enriched by her gifts and talents. Her words and her music will live on and shape the world of prayer in our synagogues and in the larger Jewish community for this and future generations. Generous friends of the College-Institute have … Continue Reading
Popular Jewish Singer and Composer Debbie Friedman in Critical Condition; Friends Launching Worldwide Spiritual Healing Effort
by Debra Nussbaum Cohen A worldwide effort is underway to bring about healing for one of American Judaism’s most beloved composers of healing and other Jewish liturgy. Debbie Friedman is the widely-known composer of Jewish songs, including “Mishebeirach,” “Sing Unto God” and “Lechi Lach,” which have become standard parts of synagogue and camp life in Judaism’s liberal denominations. Friedman, who has long suffered with ill health but been private about the underlying cause, has developed pneumonia and is on a respirator, in a medically-induced coma in an Orange County, California hospital. Her sister Sheryl Friedman reports that as of January 7, the doctors’ measures have not yet succeeded in opening up her lungs. Close friends and colleagues are asking people worldwide to … Continue Reading
Introducing the School of Jewish Nonprofit Management
The School of Jewish Communal Service, established more than forty years ago by Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion (HUC-JIR), is changing its name to the School of Jewish Nonprofit Management (SJNM), reflecting the dramatic changes in the nonprofit and Jewish communal world during the past decades. The SJNM is unique in the academic world - it is the only graduate program of its kind that is embedded within a Jewish institution of higher learning and enjoys a special partnership with its neighbor, the University of Southern California. Students at the SJNM receive a cutting-edge education in nonprofit management grounded in Jewish history and values, as well as the opportunity to earn one of five dual degrees at USC. Originally conceived as a graduate program preparing social … Continue Reading
New Grant to HUC Supports Classical Reform Programs
The Society for Classical Reform Judaism (SCRJ), with the support of the Edward and Wilhelmina Ackerman Foundation, has announced a five-year grant in the amount of $500,000 to Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion (HUC-JIR). This grant will support rabbinical students on the Cincinnati campus with scholarships, Prize Essay Awards, a Student Travel Fund, and an annual SCRJ Institute. Classical Reform Judaism - its history, thought, and liturgical expressions - will be included in Core and Elective courses in the Rabbinical School on the Cincinnati campus and the School of Sacred Music on the New York campus, and in campus co-curricular activities and programs. Cincinnati faculty will work to develop an elective course on Classical Reform Judaism, which may be offered through … Continue Reading
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